Most of us do not work for an NBA team and cant spend out day watching games. I am not sure how you can judge a player's drive or mentality without interviewing them personally or the people that are close to them like coaches or teammates. I doubt there is a youtube clip of a prospect saying "Yeah, you know what? I'm totally lazy. Once I get that check, I'm going to rest on my laurels because I have made it." Everyone here is using what tools are (realistically) available to form an opinion and discuss the topic.
If we get 25 minutes on the court from those two picks combined I will be happy. Just hope one of them turns into a rotation piece.
None of this takes away from the fact that you don't go into a draft trying with a team this devoid of talent trying to rank your draft choices how they would fit with each other. Yes you do draft BPA when you are starting over from scratch, especially at the end of the 1st round, and especially when there are no foundational pieces. We don't know the direction of this team and who will be on the team 2 years from now so how do you even gage fit? We are talking about guys at end of the 1st who will most likely no stick in the NBA going by history and then you are basing it on if they fit another guy who we don't know will pan out. Why are prioritizing fit, when you don't even have an idea of the team dynamics and you are HOPING the guys drafted will be rotational pieces.
For the two picks, I would select one big man and one guard: Guard: Tre Mann, Butler for Baylor or Ayo Dosunmu from Illinois or Chris Duarte from Oregon Forward/Center: Usman Garuba from Spain, JT Thor of Auburn and Bassey or Queta
We arent this "devoid of talent" we got several pieces like KPJ, CWood, Kmart, Tate and that no 2 pick. Thats not starting over from scratch our roster prior to this season was the one starting over from scratch not this one. At the very least you expect no 2 to be franchise piece so that dude would be the focus of your development the team would be shaped around him. The direction of this team is a rebuilding one that should have been clear by now you still don't know? Lol. This draft is deep we have more expectations from the 23/24 than just hoping they stick around. If thats just your expectation why even bother arguing going bpa? If your goal is just get a dude who sits on the bench then it doesnt matter whether its bpa or fit you dont really need to expend so much effort for a projected 5 min a game player. Rox prob better of signing guys ti vet mins in that case. Dont argue about this anymore if your expectation is just based on history why are you arguing about a dide who might be out of the leagur when his rookie deal expires then? Doesnt matter what criteria you use he gonna be out in 5 yrs so dont bother anymore. For me I'm hoping the dude we get at 23/24 is another Capela, a guy who will be a solid contributor and borderline star. 2 yrs from now the 2 guys on the team should be KPJ and that no 2 pick so the team will revolve around them. I dont know about team dynamics but I know that no 2 dude will develop better if we look at fit as one of the criteria for drafting 23/24. If you got Green for example, drafting Tre Mann and Joel Ayiyi would get in the way of development for Green as you'd have 3 guards all jockeying for PT and Green's PT would be reduced. Sure you get your bpa but then how you develop all 3 of them? Esp when Green is supposed to be your next franchise dude you think surrounding him with sgs is the way to go? What message does that say to Green when you got guys who are gonna be his comp? Will he feel like the team values him and sees him as the future? Or are you making it clear you see him as an asset to be sold once his is high? Lol. Other teams arent dumb if you got a glut of something you aint getting market value for them. When Cavs trade Sexton they arent getting a top 10 pick back, thats for sure. The process doesnt end when you draft your dude that's the start. You are trying to make some sort of strawman argument where I'm saying bpa doesnt matter. It does, but at the same time fit is also a factor, and should be considered when BPA diff isnt all that large.
I love JT Thor too but to pass on Mobley and HOPE that JT Thor falls to 23rd pick is a ridiculous strategy. You draft the best available player with 2nd pick. PERIOD. Draft BPA at 23 and 24. There could be multiple players available with similar grades - fit, need and other factors will then weigh into making that choice.
I've seen a lot of chatter on how to address these picks in terms of particular positions vs. BPA, and I think I find myself somewhere in the middle. As a general rule of thumb, for a team this bad, always go BPA. But you also need some variety. If you only draft 7-footers who live in the paint or offensive-minded 2-guards who can't defend with all three picks, you can't find minutes for all three of those guys on the same roster. Whoever they draft, there needs to be some thought put into how these players are going to develop, whether they're long-term projects you can stash in the G-League or guys you want to plug into the rotation tomorrow.
I agree, but the question goes back to who is the BPA AT #2. Mobley, Green or Suggs. I can’t make up my mind. Keep flip flopping. Also, looks like they wrote this article before Thor shot up the draft board. Thor now could be taken at the end of lottery, as there are interest in him from 3 teams in that range.
Absolutely don’t want Greg as UT fan. I love high potential guys but I think he is TOO raw. Shouldn’t have come out
I'm not saying I disagree with you, but I would love to have three young guards on the team like KPJ/Green/Mann.
25 years old is too old for a rebuild. In 5 years he will be 30 years old, in his prime. It's just insane guys...
At the end of the day what I want out of the draft is, at least, 3 players who project to be rotation players on a playoff team. #2 should be a difference maker/all star/building block. My focus after that is on specific attributes that seem to coincide with being an above average player. I want length, athleticism and shooting. The Rockets defense sucked so give me guys whose length allows them to be a pest if they put forth some modicum of effort. On the other side of the ball I want guys who can hit an open shot and guys who can get out in transition. Like many, I am hoping that the Rockets acquire some second rounders as I foresee there being 5 or 6 guys drafted there that will end up being on par with players selected in the first round. Here is to hoping that Stone shows he continues to have an eye for talent.
100%. Whether he is worth a max deal is another conversation but the idea that Wood cant fit with the kiddos is, I think, just shortsighted. I think Wood can be a valuable player for the next 5-7 seasons. He may be a guy that starts out as the #1 guy but as the Rocket's younger players get better he moves down to being like the 3rd or even 4th option by the end of his career (if he were to stick around that long). If they do not see him as a piece moving forward then they should look to move him now while he is on a value contract.
